Rise at six
Run some miles
Repeat
Month: February 2020
2020/02/17
Making fresh tracks
Snow dancing through the air
Floating
A clear blue sunrise
Chickadees’ call and reply
Atop the silence
2020/02/15
Swooping owl
Bright turquoise ice
Frozen river run
2020/02/13
Dressed for robbery
Peeking through frozen lashes
Make the morning rounds
2020/02/11 PM
Snow begins to fall
Headlamp constellations
Gliding through the night
My shoes are ghosts
Body a passing shadow
Framed by reflectors
2020/02/10
White hare
Disappears in the snow
Wind fills my ears
2020/02/09
Morning light
Elusive creatures
The earth’s curves
Walk and See
The Appalachian Trail stretch 2,140 miles along the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, from Maine to Georgia. The idea of one long continuous trail was originally dreamed up by Benton MacKaye in the early 1900s to provide accessible wilderness experiences to an increasingly urban population.
As told by Robert Moor in his wonderful book On Trails, MacKaye was asked years after the trail was built about the ultimate purpose of the great trail, to we which he replied (in his own #walkhaiku):
- to walk;
- to see; and
- to see what you see!
We think of hikers as walking trails with purpose, but we often overlook the purpose of the trail itself. Historically, trails formed from get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. But as Moor explains, “hiking” itself is a modern invention necessitated by a need to connect with nature. Hiking trails aren’t designed for efficiency, but for connection. The journey, not the destination, is the goal of a good hike.
Along a similar vein, consider Craig Mod’s reflection after several “thru-hikes” of historic trails in Japan:
“If you want to know the story of a place, walk it. For to walk is to apply the rigor of process to place.”
If you’re interested in trails and self-powered travel, read On Trails, and sign up for Craig Mod’s newsletter.
Better yet, go for a walk, to see what you see.